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Utah vs. Michael Moore

This Divided State, the nationally acclaimed documentary film on Michael Moore's appearance at UVSC in Fall 2004, will be released on DVD September 27th.

If you were here in Utah last fall, you remember the firestorm that descended on UVSC and Orem and all the protests, death threats, and lawsuits. All of it was captured on camera and This Divided State serves as both a diary of what happened and an observation of how civil discourse is failing in America.

The New York Times, TV Guide, Variety, and dozens of other national critics has raved that this is a very important movie to see.

Sean cheapass Hannity being the first pick to come speak at UVSC. Sean right-wing extremist that charges $100,000.00 for a speaking appearance. Since that was out of the budget, UVSC hired Michael Moore. And then the ensuing anger. All the Bush=God folks here didn't want Moore here. Why? No good reason, they just didn't like him. Contributors threatened to pull contributions. Students boycott. One Orem resident actually started a lawsuit with some lame grounds about using school funds inappropriately. We all know that none of this would have happened with Hannity. So Moore comes and speaks. Sure, he's full of crap, but so is Hannity, just in favor with most people in Utah Valley. Hannity offers to come for free, only charging UVSC for the cost of transportation. He comes and rails on Moore, for free. And then charges UVSC something like $55,000.00, if I remember right, for his flights here and back (on a private jet, of course), and then a flight from Arizona to New York, which was in no way even remotely related to his Utah visit.

I never really respected Moore, but he makes some valid points. And he lies. At least he's up front about how much he's going to charge for his twisting of the truth, unlike Hannity.

I had a chance to go to a screening of this movie earlier this year at UVSC and it's pretty entertaining and informative.

The interviews with some of the outraged residents/students and with the people outraged about the outraged people are very enjoyable. There was one professor that made some very insightful points.

It was fun hearing people call Michael Moore's movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, full of lies and un-American, and then they confess that they have NOT seen the movie.

The showed a clip from Hannity's speech where he stumped a Kerry supporter to try and give Kerry's position on Iraq.

From what I remember, the audience enjoyed it and there was plenty of humor throughout the showing.

It seemed pretty balanced and gave a pretty fair account of what happened. It may seem to lean towards a liberal viewpoint, but that's probably because of the altercation with Sean Hannity and his security. And as Farker mentioned above, Sean Hannity's role in the situation seemed a lot more deceptive and thus was focused on in the movie.

All the Bush=God folks here didn't want Moore here. Why? No good reason, they just didn't like him.

I'm not from Utah Valley, and I don't go to UVSC, so I don't really care how UVSC uses its funds to hire whoever to say whatever. But I can understand those who did object to Michael Moore coming, not for "no good reason," not because they "didn't like him," not because he's liberal, but because he's an idiot. If UVSC was going to bring in Howard Dean, Maureen Dowd, Georgie Geyer, Ralph Nader, or Bill Marr (ok, I'm pushing it with that last one...) I bet the conservative backlash would've been insignificant, if not completely absent.

But I can understand those who did object to Michael Moore coming, not for "no good reason," not because they "didn't like him," not because he's liberal, but because he's an idiot.

I'd be inclined to believe that if I hadn't personally heard from all the rants about him, and him speaking. I doubt he's the first idiot UVSC has hired in the past. Most people I heard from talked about how he was a liar, and anti-American, blah blah blah. The thing is, all these people also admitted to never having watched his films. They hated him because someone else hated him.

Sure, he stretches the truth and hides reality. Show me one political speaker who doesn't. Certainly not Sean Hannity.

Sure, he stretches the truth and hides reality. Show me one political speaker who doesn't.

This isn't the problem. Even if it was, seeing his films wouldn't help you to know what in them is B.S. and what is not --that would require outside research and analysis. When the movie was released, there were reviews, quotes, and analyses all over the place. As one who has seen it, I can say that's pretty much all you need to form an opinion about The Documentarian Who Went Up a Molehill But Came Down A Mountain. Er, I mean Fahrenheit 9/11.

But I really didn't know how much of an idiot he was until I heard his UVSC speech. Kids, make sure you get a college education. Or at least a GED.

What am I? Your research assistant? Google "Fahrenheit 9/11 debunked" and you'll be buried with the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Here's a couple off the top of my head:

- there is a shot of Bush at the golf course telling the reporters to "stop the terrorist killers... now watch this drive" before he tees off. The implication is that he had a lackadaisical attitude towards the victims of 9/11. Well, turns out he happened to be talking about Palestinian terrorists in Israel.
- The camera follows Michael Moore as he shanghai's members of Congress outside the Capitol Building in D.C. He asks a certain Congressmen to sign up his kids for the army to fight in Iraq. In response a certain Congressman is shown just standing there with a stupid look on his face, and then the camera cuts away. As it turns out, this Congressman had a nephew serving there already, and announces this to Moore --but his answer ended up on the cutting room floor.

I'm sure if you look, you'll find more exclusions of exculpatory evidence and other deceptions. I remember a part where Michael Moore says something to the effect of "No Iraqi citizen has ever harmed an American ever." Again: kids, stay in school.

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